Embers Never Fade
by GlascowJoker
Summary: Jack had always been quiet and shy, and kept to himself. One day he captures the attention of a Lily, a smart and pretty girl. They became inseparable, until one day Jack just...disappeared. A few years go by, and Lily notices something awfully familiar about Gotham's newest criminal mastermind. Jack/OC and Joker/OC. INCOMPLETE. Please review!
1. Cuckoo

She doodled in the margins of her notebook, her head resting in her hand as she did so. She could vaguely hear the sounds of her math teacher, Mr. Cartwright as he babbled on to the class about mathematical theorems and algorithms. Lily loved to learn, but my god math was just incredibly _boring _to her. She could never pay attention for more than a few seconds. She'd rather be in her Literature class, reading and writing. She shifted her eyes to the clock on the wall. _'Thank god. Only a few minutes until lunch.' _

The bell rang, and she gathered her notes and her books in to her bookbag, standing up and lifting her bag up and around her shoulder. She walked briskly on her way to the cafeteria, trying to get there quickly before the line got too long.

She arrived at the cafeteria, noticing how long the line was already. She let out a dejected sigh, opting to go and sit down at her usual table with her friends until the line died down a bit. She walked through the cafeteria, paying no mind to the chatter of others as she walked over to a table near the far corner of the cafeteria, where she and her friends always sat.

"Hi, guys." She said as she sat in the empty seat, letting her bag slouch off her shoulder next to the table.

She glanced over her shoulder, looking out the large cafeteria windows in to the school courtyard. She squinted her eyes, noticing a guy sitting on the grass underneath one of the shady trees. He was by himself, reading. She never noticed him around school before. Curious, she turned back around to her friends at the table.

"Hey, do you guys know who that is out there? The one reading?"

They turned to glance out the window, looking for who she was talking about. One of them spoke up, "He's new. His name's Jack, but stay away from him. I heard he's messed up in the head."

Her other friends nodded silently, agreeing with him. Another one of her friends spoke up, "Yeah, Lily. Don't bother with him. He likes to be alone anyway." She turned her attention back to the food on her tray, picking up her carton of strawberry milk and sipped at it.

Lily looked back out the window, staring as she watched him read. He looked perfectly normal to her, he was probably just shy. Being a new kid was never fun. Meeting all new people in a place you've never been to was probably tough. _'He could probably just use a friend.' _she thought to herself. She stood up and started walking towards the doors leading out to the courtyard.

"Lily, where are you going?" She heard one of her friends remark from over her shoulder. She didn't stop walking; she merely turned her head back towards them. "I'm just trying to be nice." was all she said as she pushed the door open, stepping outside in to the cool autumn breeze. The leaves were changing in to warm colors, and gently floating away from branches and on to the ground. It was really beautiful out here. She wondered why more people didn't come out here during lunch, but shook her thoughts away and drew her attention back to him. He either hadn't noticed her come outside or he didn't regard her presence. She started again, walking towards him and stopping when she stood in front of him.

She looked down at him. He was wearing a worn pair of converse, riddled with tiny holes and spots of dirt. He had on a pair of dark navy jeans, which also had holes worn in to them on the knees. He also had a military style belt, with olive green canvas and a silver buckle. Also, a dark gray thermal shirt which he rolled up to his elbows. His hair was brownish blonde and naturally curly, and reached just past his slightly chiseled jawline. "Uh, hi." She smiled awkwardly.

He slowly turned the page of his book, not looking up at her. "Hey."

She turned back around, noticing her friends looking at her through the windows. She faced him again. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

This time he did look up at her, his eyebrow raised slightly in confusion. She could see now that he had bright, hazel eyes and a few freckles across the bridge of his nose. He looked at her this way for a moment or two, before he brought his attention back to the book he was reading. "I suppose not."

She stood there for a moment before she sat down so she was next to him. She peered over his shoulder slightly, looking at the text on the pages. "What're you reading?"

"_One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. _It's a classic."

"So I take it you like to read?"

"It helps to pass the time, yes."

She sat back a little, looking at the leaves in the grass next to her. She started to feel like this was a bad idea; he didn't seem very interested in making light conversation.

He finished the page he was reading, gently closing the book and setting it in the grass next to him. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, glancing over at her while she wasn't looking. She was wearing a pair of black combat boots, paired with some dark skinny jeans and a baggy olive colored sweater. She had long, slightly wavy light auburn colored hair. She had cute, delicate features.

"So, what about you?"

She looked back up at him. "Huh?"

He smirked slightly. "Do you like to read?"

"Oh. Uh...yeah. I do." She smiled slightly. "I really like Ray Bradbury and Poe."

This caused him to smile. "Oh, you should read Lovecraft. I bet you'd love him. He writes _fantastic _horror stories."

She smiled back at him. "I will."

She glanced over to his book again. "So, what's this about anyway?"

"Oh, it's _great. _This guy, this perfectly sane guy gets admitted in to a mental hospital. While he's in this hospital, he starts messing with the staff. Upsetting the established order, disobeying rules, and riling up the other patients. Want to know why he did it?"

She said nothing, but she kept her gaze fixated on him, interested in what he was saying.

"He did it, just because he could. Just for fun." He chuckled. "Because he _wanted _to."

"It sounds… interesting." She looked around, they were the only two sitting out here. She looked back to him again. "So, how come you sit out here by yourself?"

"I'd much rather sit by myself out here in peace and quiet instead of sitting by myself in loud and incessant chattering."

"Hm, I guess you have a good point." She paused for a moment. "Well, if you ever get tired of sitting by yourself, I could keep you company." She flashed him a warm smile, and he smiled slightly back.

"Yeah…I'd like that."

"I'm Lily, by the way."

"Jack."

She stood back up. "Well Jack, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?"

"Sure."

She smiled again, turning back around and going back inside.


	2. Fahrenheit

**A/N: **_Sorry for the short chapter, having a bit of writer's block. I know the direction I want to take this story, I'm just having trouble getting things started. I hope you guys enjoy anyway!_

The next day at school Lily sat at her desk, impatiently eyeing the clock on the adjacent wall. She thought it was hard enough to focus in math before, but now all she could think about was seeing Jack again. She sighed as she stared absentmindedly out the window, occupying herself with looking at clouds or the birds on the tree branches instead of whatever Mr. Cartwright had been talking about.

A few minutes later and the bell finally rang. Excitedly, she grabbed her things and stuffed them in to her bookbag and headed through the door.

The hallways were cramped with chattering students moving between classes. Lily wove her way through the others as she hurried to the cafeteria.

Once she got there, she looked through the large glass windows across the cafeteria and saw Jack sitting outside. She smiled, making her way across the cafeteria and to the glass doors leading outside. Unbeknownst to her, people were whispering and making comments about her to their friends and to others.

She pushed open the glass door, looking over to Jack. He was sitting under the same tree as yesterday, and he was reading again. She started walking over to him. Today he was wearing a dark gray Henley shirt with olive stripes, and the same pair of jeans and sneakers. She set her book bag down in the grass next to the tree, and then also sat down beside him.

"Hi, Jack." she smiled at him.

"Hey." he half-smiled back.

She glanced over, looking at the cover of the book he was reading. "_Fahrenheit 451_? Good choice."

"Yeah. I've never read Bray Bradbury before, but you said you liked his books so I snagged this from the library. It's really fucking good."

She giggled slightly. "Yeah, it is. It's one of my favorites."

"Oh, I brought you something, by the way."

"Oh?" She looked over at him, he set his book down and started rifling through his bookbag.

He pulled out a few worn books, handing them over to her. "I thought you might like to borrow these."

She took them gingerly, looking at the covers of the books. _The Tomb and Other Tales, The Outsider and Others, _and _The Dunwich Horror and Others. _All by H.P. Lovecraft.

She looked up at him, smiling. "Thank you, Jack."

"Of course."

She picked up the book on top, setting the others down beside her. The paperback was worn and faded, with cracks and pieces missing. She looked at the cover, which had an illustration of a man's head on the front. His eyes were wide, with small black dots for pupils. A large iron ring circled around his head, with a large padlock hanging in front of his face and hiding his features. His head was splitting down the middle, with blood red bats flying out of his head. _'I hope the stories are as creepy as the art.' _she smiled to herself.

"Jack?"

He turned his gaze back over to her. "Yes?"

"Um, I was wondering…if maybe you want to do something after school?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh." She paused. "I didn't really think of anything."

He smirked at her. "I have an idea. Meet me by my locker after school, it's across the hall from A107."

"Okay." She smiled slightly, trying to hide her excitement.

She watched as he stood up, picking up his bookbag and putting his book back inside it before slinging it over one shoulder. "I've gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?" He smiled at her slightly as he turned, heading back inside.


	3. Coffee

She rushed to her locker when the final bell rang for the day, hastily cramming her stuff in to her bookbag before closing her locker door. She lifted her bookbag up, slinging it over one shoulder as she walked through the long hallways.

A107 was upstairs, in the right side hallway. She made her way past the other students, who were descending down the stairs as they were leaving for the day. She reached the top of the stairs, looking down the long hallway where she could see Jack standing by his locker. She smiled slightly and made her way over to him.

"Hey."

"Oh, hi." He responded. He was leisurely placing things in to his bookbag. She looked at the inside of his locker, which was bare as opposed to being lined with pictures like everyone else. The halls were mostly vacant now, with only a handful of students straggling around their lockers still. Jack set down his bookbag, reaching in to his locker and pulling out an olive green military style jacket, with hand-sewn patches on the front and on the bicep of the sleeve. He slid it over his broad shoulders, looking down at her.

"So, do you like coffee?"

"Um, yeah." She smiled gently. "Coffee sounds nice."

He smiled slightly back, picking his bookbag back up and lifting it over his shoulder and shutting his locker. "I know this really nice place. Not too far from here, if you're up for a little walk."

"Okay." They headed out of the school together, walking side by side. Lily noticed some people staring at her while she was walking, but decided to ignore it. They were almost a block away from the school before Jack said anything.

"So, Lily."

She looked up at him inquisitively, watching as he stared down at the sidewalk. His curly blonde locks fell in front of his eyes as he kept his gaze averted.

"Why did you come up to me yesterday?"

Lily felt slightly despondent at his question. "I'm not sure. I guess I felt bad seeing you sitting alone, I just wanted to be nice."

"You…wanted to be nice?"

She looked down at her feet. "I didn't mean to offend you…" Her voice trailed off slightly.

He chuckled slightly. "Ah, Lily. You didn't offend me."

"I didn't?"

"Nah. I'm just not used to anyone being nice to me is all."

She looked back up at him. "Really? Why not?"

He inhaled slightly, exhaling in a quiet sigh. "Let's just say I didn't exactly have a picture perfect home life. And then once I started school people just…started to single me out."

"Oh…" She watched her feet again, unsure of how to respond. They walked in silence again for several minutes.

Jack glanced over at her, smiling slightly. "But not you, Lily."

She met her eyes with his, looking at his warm hazel eyes as they gazed at her. His lips curled in to a smile.

"You actually gave me a chance. I'm… grateful for that."

Lily smiled back at him, feeling her auburn hair swaying in the cool autumn breeze. Loose strands of hair rested around her eyes.

Jack halted his step, gently nudging her with his elbow. He nodded his head towards a small shop nestled in between two other buildings.

"That one, over there. It's a small, family owned shop. Really fucking good coffee and nice and quiet." He smiled at her slightly, continuing on again while she followed.

"Jack?"

He turned his head over his shoulder to glance at her. "Hm?"

"I'm glad I decided to give you a chance." Her cheeks flushed slightly and she tried to hide a smile.

He chuckled slightly, grabbing hold of her petite hand and leading her towards the shop.

Lily and Jack sat there in that small coffee shop, just talking to each other. Jack had opened himself up a little more to Lily, telling her about his hobbies and interests outside of reading. He loved listening to music, and played the acoustic guitar. She learned that he also like writing and drawing, even if he wasn't very good at it.

Lily talked a lot more than Jack, but she didn't mind. He listened to her intently, and he seemed interested in hearing whatever she had to say. She talked about her favorite books, her family, friends, school, and her hobbies. They had sat there, just talking about anything and everything for so long that they lost track of time, and the shop owner had to come over to their table to tell them they were closing in five minutes. Lily and Jack paid for their drinks, thanked the owners and then walked back outside again.

Lily looked up at the sky, which was a shade of deep blue. She giggled slightly.

"Wow…we were in there for a while."

"Yeah…sorry." Jack scratched his head awkwardly. "I didn't mean to keep you out so late, I should probably walk you home."

They started walking again. Lily's house wasn't too far away, only a few blocks. They were almost back when they walked up to a playground, empty this late at night. Lily playfully grabbed at Jack's arm, leading him towards the swingset.

"C'mon, let's take a detour." She giggled slightly.

They sat beside each other on the swings, Lily swung slightly while Jack sat and watched her. She glanced over at him, and then up at the sky.

There were no clouds to pollute the view, millions of tiny stars shone brightly in the night sky. "Look at the sky, Jack."

Jack obliged, leaning his head back and gazing at the sky.

"Isn't it so pretty? I wonder what it's like out there in space."

"Maybe there are spooky space monsters out there. _OoOooo!_"

Lily chuckled slightly. "Very funny, Jack."

They gazed at the sky together for a few minutes. Lily let out a dejected sigh when she stood up.

"I do need to get home soon though, before my parents kill me."

Jack stood up too, following after her as they began walking back to her house again. They got there in just a few minutes. Lily stopped and stood on the sidewalk in front of her house, turning back towards Jack, who stood a few feet away.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, sure." she replied. She stood there for a moment or two before she walked up to Jack, standing before him. He looked down at her with those soft, hazel eyes and she smiled. She closed her eyes, placing her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him gently.

Jack felt somewhat stunned by her notion at first, his body tensing up slightly. She hugged him a little bit tighter.

"Thank you, Jack."

He relaxed, letting his muscles loosen up. He smiled slightly, gently hugging her back.

She pulled away a moment later, smiling at him before walking up to her front door and going inside.

Jack stood there, staring at her front door for a few moments. He turned on his heels, walking back again with a grin plastered on his face.


	4. The Man Who Laughs

Lily hadn't seen Jack since Friday night. For once, she had something to look forward to on a Monday. A new week of school also meant seeing Jack again.

Like usual, time passed by slowly in her math class. She spent most of the period absentmindedly doodling on her notebook or staring at the clock. Once she heard the bell ring, she gathered her things and walked through the halls, making her way to her locker.

Once she got there, she opened it and placed her math book back inside, then pulled out a brown paper bag before shutting her locker. She'd never actually seen Jack eat during school, so she decided to pack a lunch for them to share. She placed the bag inside of her bookbag and started walking.

She got to the cafeteria, walking out through the glass door to the courtyard where she saw Jack, sitting there as usual. She walked up to him, setting down her bookbag before sitting down next to him. He was, as usual, reading. She glanced over at the cover of the book he was reading.

_The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo. _Sounds interesting.

Once he finished the page he was reading, he closed the book gently and set it in the grass next to him. "Well, hello there."

"Hi, Jack." Lily smiled warmly at him. She moved her bookbag closer to her, unzipping it and reaching inside. She pulled out the brown paper bag and set it between her and Jack.

Jack looked down at the bag, slightly confounded. "What's in there?"

"Lunch, silly." Lily chuckled slightly, reaching inside the back and pulling out a baggie with a sandwich inside it. She held it out to Jack. "I've never seen you eat anything during lunch. I hope you like peanut butter and jelly."

"Oh. Uh, thanks." Jack reached out, taking it from her gingerly. He watched her reach back inside and pull out the other one for herself. He had to admit, he was pretty hungry. He pushed back the plastic baggie, taking a bite.

"You're welcome." Lily bit in to her sandwich too. "So did you finish _Fahrenheit 451 _already?"

"You kidding? I couldn't put that thing down. I finished it days ago."

She giggled slightly. "Yeah, it's just every time I see you you're reading something new."

"A man may as well expect to grow stronger by always eating as wiser by always reading." Jack smirked at her.

"I read some of those short stories in those H.P Lovecraft over the weekend. I really like them."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me read them."

"Of course." Jack had finished his sandwich, and now he picked up his book again. Lily smiled slightly as she glanced over at him, watching him read. She then turned and looked around, seeing how most of the leaves had fallen off the trees already. The ground was riddled with red, orange and yellow colored leaves. It was so pretty out here. Lily didn't mind the comfortable silence between them. While Jack was reading she got a head start on some homework.

Not much longer later, the bell rang for them to get back to class. Jack stood up, holding his book in one hand and his bookbag with the other. Lily stood up too.

"Hey Jack, do you want to do something tonight? Maybe go see a movie or something?" She batted her eyelashes slightly as she spoke.

"Oh, uh…" Jack scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I can't, sorry. I've got some things to take care of after school."

"Oh, okay." Jack picked up on the tone of despondence in her voice. He felt guilty.

"But um, I'm free tomorrow. If you want to do something." He smiled at her.

"Sure." She smiled back, and they headed back inside and went their separate ways.

After the final bell rang, Jack headed outside of the school quickly. He walked on down the street, carrying his bookbag over his right shoulder. He ran a hand through his long curls, continuing to walk. He walked for a while, heading in to the larger part of the city. He had been walking for about an hour already before he finally made it to where he was headed.

The narrows.

He slinked his way through the alleyways, trying to avoid any unwanted attention. He stopped in front of an exceptionally small alleyway, pulling a small piece of paper out of his pocket and looking down at it.

'_Yep. Right address.'_ He tucked the paper back in to his pocket, walking down the alley. He saw a hooded figure standing near a dumpster at the back of the alley, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey." The gravelly voice spoke. "You Napier?"

"That's me. Do you have it?"

"Yeah, I've got it, don't worry." He took a long hit from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly. He held out a pack of cigarettes. "You want a smoke?"

"No, I'm kind of in a hurry." Jack retorted. "Look, can we just make this quick?"

The man let out a distorted grunt, reaching inside the dumpster and pulling out two wrapped bricks of cocaine. "Two ounces, that's $2,500."

Jack pulled his bookbag off his shoulder, reaching inside and pulling out a large wad of cash wrapped in a rubber band. They exchanged the two, the man tucking the wad of cash in his hoodie pocket as Jack placed the two packages inside his bookbag, zipping it up again before he strode off.

Jack walked on, both hands in the pockets on his jacket. He just wanted to get out of the Narrows as quickly as possible. He opted for the longer, safer route through the city to get back to his apartment.

It took him almost 3 hours, but he finally made it back to the suburbs.

"Ugh, I can't fucking _wait _to sit down." He mumbled as he walked down the sidewalk. He walked for about a block before he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"_Fuck._" He felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He could see Lily, on the opposite side of the street. She was around 50 feet away, carrying a couple of books with her. He backed up slowly, realizing that she hadn't seen him yet. He saw a large bush in one of the yards behind him, and quickly ran over and ducked behind it, letting out a loud sigh. He carefully peeked out from behind the bush, waiting for Lily to pass. The last thing he needed was for her to stop and have a chat with him while he stood there with a bag full of cocaine.

Once she did finally pass by him, he crept back out from behind the bush. He looked out in the direction she was walking, feeling a tinge of guilt. He let out another sigh, turning back around and heading back down the sidewalk.

His apartment was only a few blocks away, so he got there relatively quickly. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping inside and shutting and locking it behind him. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, walking over to the kitchen table and setting his bookbag down on top of it. He walked over to the cabinets on the wall, opening them and pulling out a large pound bag of flour. He set it down on the table before pulling the packages out of his bookbag. He reached inside the kitchen drawers for a sharp knife, using it to carefully cut open the bags. Once they were open, he rolled back the plastic, revealing the bricks inside. He finally sat down at the table, he had a lot of work to do.

**A/N: **_Ooh, Jack has a little secret. What happens if Lily finds out about it? I hope you guys liked this chapter, sorry I always take so long to update!_


	5. Freak

Several weeks had passed by in what seemed like no time at all. Jack and Lily spent nearly every single day together those past few weeks, and they began to grow inseparable from each other. They still ate lunch together in the courtyard each day and would go for long walks around town after school or sit somewhere quiet and just talk and enjoy each other's company.

Now, all of the leaves had fallen from the trees and lay in large heaps on the sidewalks. The air began to grow cooler each day as winter loomed near.

People around school hadn't been taking very kindly to seeing Jack and Lily together all the time. Lily was noticing the dirty looks and whispering around her more often than ever before, but she still chose to ignore it. She didn't understand why everyone around her seemed to have a vendetta against Jack, but she ultimately decided their opinions didn't matter and she carried on with her life anyway.

On this particular day, however, things escalated and got far, far worse than they ever have before. Everything was fine, Jack and Lily were going about their day at school normally just like everyone else. That is, until lunch began.

Just like on any normal day, Lily was sitting absentmindedly in her math class as she waited for the lunch bell to ring. Once the bell did ring, she gathered her things and left class. She made her way through the hallway, ignoring the stares and jeers from the other students. She stopped at her locker, putting away the books she no longer needed for the day and grabbing the small brown paper bag at the top of her locker. She shut it behind her, making her way to the cafeteria.

Once she got there, she glanced to the windows across the room where she could see Jack waiting outside for her. A slight smile crept across her face, and she made her way across the cafeteria towards the doors leading outside.

As she walked, she neared a table where some of the guy's football team members all sat. They were your typical jock stereotype, big bulky guys with letterman jackets. One of them whistled at her as she drew nearer, and another called out at her.

"Hey there cutie, how about you come sit with us instead of that loser outside?" His friends chuckled at his remark, Lily's face grew red and she tried to ignore him while she made her way past.

As she hurried past, one of the guys at the table stuck out his leg. Lily hadn't noticed as she was trying to avoid eye contact with them, and she kept walking. She caught her foot on his ankle, letting out a shriek as she tripped over him and landed on the hard tile floor with a loud thud. She fell hard, landing with her knees colliding against the hard surface as well as her torso landing on top of her books and lunch bag, crushing the food inside and also causing the pointed edges of the books to press in to her ribcage, causing her to gasp for air.

Unbeknownst to her, the cafeteria had gone quiet momentarily as they all turned to see what had caused the commotion. She pushed herself up from the floor slightly so she was sitting on her knees. She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes from the pain of the fall, turning back around to see that the entire table of jocks were laughing and pointing at her. She felt more tears beginning to sting her eyes as everyone else in the cafeteria began laughing with them. She felt all eyes on her as she tried miserably to gather up the heap of items around her on the floor, choking back a sob.

Outside, Jack sat underneath the usual spot he always sat under the biggest tree in the courtyard. The limbs were bare, and piles of warm colored leaves sat in haphazard piles around the trunk. The air was bitter, but Jack didn't mind at all. He was sitting there casually reading while he waited for Lily to join him, when he heard a loud noise from inside followed by an uproar of laughter. Curious, Jack set his book down in the grass next to the tree trunk and stood up, walking over to the large glass doors leading back inside to the cafeteria, pulling it open and stepping inside.

The moment Jack stepped inside, his eardrums filled with the noisy laughter from students all throughout the cafeteria. He looked around, not noticing anything in particular right away. Then his eyes fell to the messy heap of books and smashed food on the floor, where he realized it was Lily who was sitting there on the floor being laughed at. Jack stood there for a moment, still. He could feel anger bubbling up inside of him as he clenched his fists tightly, striding across the cafeteria to where Lily was.

He knelt down in front of her, she had her head hung low and he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. He reached out, gently grabbing her by the chin and turning her head upwards so she was looking at him. She kept her eyes shut as used his other hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"Hey, Lily. Are you okay? Look at me. What happened?"

The sound of Jack's voice and his gentle caress calmed her down slightly. She choked on a sob before whispering quietly.

"It was Chad. He…he tripped me. I fell, everyone saw…b-but I'm okay." Her lower lip quivered slightly as she spoke.

He shushed her quietly, pulling her head towards him so it was rested against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back protectively. Jack turned his attention away from her, looking past her at the table in front of them. Lily could feel every inch of Jack's lean muscle as it tensed beneath her.

Jack looked at the one who had tripped Lily, glaring at him with daggers in his eyes. He moved away from Lily gently, standing up slowly. All eyes were on him as he walked over to him, and the cafeteria grew quiet again with anticipation.

Jack walked up to him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and stood so he was right in his face. His friend sitting at the table watched on with amusement, as Chad sat beneath Jack with a cocky grin on his face. Jack leaned in close, their noses nearly touching. Jack swallowed sharply before he spoke.

"You're so fucking _lucky _that she isn't hurt." was all Jack said, before leaning back again and releasing his grip on him. He stood tall, glaring down at him for a moment or two. Jack turned back around slowly, keeping his eyes fixated on him as he knelt down next to Lily again, turning his attention towards her again. He smiled at her slightly.

"Hey, let me help you up, okay?" She only nodded slightly in response, and Jack began gathering her things together for her. Lily wiped at her eyes, staring at the ground as Jack was gathering her things. A soft murmur began in the cafeteria as everyone around them seemed to lose interest in their little escapade.

As Jack had almost gotten all of her things together, she heard an audible splatter that caught her by surprise. Everything had gone quiet in the cafeteria again. She looked up, seeing Jack in front of her with the school's chili stuck in his hair and dripping down the side of his face. His eyes were shut, with his brows slightly furrowed. He inhaled deeply, slowly opening his eyes again as he tried to control his anger. Lily looked at him with concern written across her face, he glanced over at her like he was about to say something to her before the unsettling silence was broken again.

"_**FREAK!"**_

'Oh, _no._'Lily felt worry in the pit of her stomach. She knew how much Jack loathed that word more than anything. She looked over at him, hearing the jeers and laughter from everyone in the cafeteria as it began. Jack only stared down at the ground, chili still dripping down his face and on to his clothing. His muscles were tensed beneath his shirt. His soft, hazel eyes turned in to dark pools of onyx, his face devoid of emotion. She watched as he clenched his fists tightly, and he stood up abruptly and made his way over towards where Chad was sitting.

He saw Jack making his way towards him and immediately stopped laughing, standing up and waving his hands, encouraging Jack towards him.

"Oooh, you wanna fight me_, freak_? C'mon."

All eyes were focused on the two as Jack got closer and closer to him. Jack stared at him with the look of pure hatred in his eyes, fixated on him completely as he strode closer to him.

Once Jack was within a few feet of him, Chad lunged towards him, aiming his fist for Jack's face. Lily gasped, watching meticulously as Jack maneuvered himself away from his punch easily, ducking to the side to avoid his fist. Chad nearly stumbled face-first in to the floor, catching his balance and turning back around to look at Jack, who was smirking at him.

"Missed me." Jack teased as murmurs and chattering could be heard, as everyone seemed just as surprised as Lily was. This only made Chad angrier, and he ran at Jack again. Jack stood in fighting stance with his fists raised; he could practically feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Chad drew near, throwing another punch at Jack. This time however, Jack didn't move out of his way quick enough and he felt his fist collide against his lip. He tasted copper in his mouth, but Jack didn't lose his focus for even one second. Taking his opportunity now that he was close enough, he twisted his hips, making sure to clench his fist hard and swung with a right hook to his jaw. There was an extremely audible cracking sound as Jack's fist hit him, and Jack could see the crimson smears staining his knuckles and Chad's face. Chad stumbled backwards, grasping his face and wincing hard as he tried to move his jaw or speak. Lily watched on in horror, feeling helpless to do anything to stop them.

The cafeteria was silent, except for a few surprised gasps and one person who cheered "Yeah!" after Jack swung. Despite himself, Jack couldn't stop. He could taste blood in his mouth and smell it on his breath and all over his hands. It sent thrills down his spine like nothing else he had ever felt before. He bore his teeth in a crazed smile, swinging hard again and hitting Chad in the lower jaw with a swift uppercut, sending him down to the floor. He stood above him, watching as he coughed and sputtered beneath him. Jack felt powerful and strong, pushing one of the lunch trays on a table near them on to the floor. It landed with a loud clatter, followed by the sound of a loud shatter as the plate that was on the tray fell to the ground and broke. Jack leaned down, grabbing one of the sharp shards from the broken plate as he pinned Chad beneath him. Chad looked up at him with fear in his eyes, as Jack looked down at him. Jack's whole body trembled with pure adrenaline as he looked deep in to his eyes, he could almost smell the fear that resonated from his body as he watched Jack. Jack licked at his lower lip, tasting the blood on his tongue. He grinned wide, causing the split in his lip to bleed even more as he pressed the sharp shard of porcelain against his neck. Jack could faintly hear the sounds of panic, they sounded as if they were far away as they were overpowered by the sound of his own heart beat filling his ears. He could faintly hear the sound of Lily's voice, shouting to him.

"_Jack, no! Please, just stop!" _He heard her pleas, but couldn't control himself. His breath grew shallow and heavy, beads of sweat dotted along his forehead and strands of messy, chili covered hair hung around his face. He gripped the shard of plate so tightly that it started to cut his own hand, a stream of blood flowing out from between his fingers. As he kept pressing harder and harder in to his neck, he could feel Chad's hands clenched around his forearms, desperately trying to pry his hands away. Jack's pupils dilated and he clenched his teeth as he watched the slow stream of crimson dripping from Chad's neck like a faucet. All it needed now was one quick, swift movement of the hand. Jack clenched the plate even tighter, feeling his excitement growing with the anticipation. _Aaaaaaand…_

Suddenly, Jack was pulled off from on top of him, still clenching the piece of glass tightly in his hand. He turned to look over his shoulder, to see one of the male teachers grabbing him by the bicep of the arm holding the shard of porcelain. Jack tried to shake him off, only to have two more teachers run up behind him. One grabbed a hold of his other arm as the other began trying to pry the shard from his clenched hand.

Abruptly pulled back in to reality, Jack's eyes swept across the room, looking at the many confused, shocked, disgusted and various other expressions on everyone's faces. He licked at his lips, feeling prideful at all of the engrossed stares he was getting. His eyes made his way over to Lily, who stared at him with only what he would describe as an expression of pure horror written across her face. He felt slightly guilty at what he had just done right in front of her, but he was only trying to protect her. He kept eye contact with her, flashing an inviting grin as he unclenched his hand, letting the piece of plate fall to the floor with a clatter. Lily now saw the deep gash on the palm of his hand, placing her hand over her mouth in nausea. The three teachers started to lead Jack out of the cafeteria once he dropped the sharp piece of plate, the whole time he just stared at Lily over his shoulder with that strange grin on his face. Lily watched as two female teachers ran over to assist Chad, lifting him up off the ground and helping him stand up. A janitor began picking up the shards of porcelain and another wheeled over a mop and bucket to the blood covered floor. Everyone in the cafeteria just sat in silence; nobody said a word as they watched Chad being led out. Lily sat there on the floor for a few moments, staring down at the ground before her attention was drawn to the man walking in to the cafeteria. It was the principal. He cleared his throat loudly, getting the attention of the students focused on him.

"Everyone, we ask that you please dump your lunch trays as quickly as possible and then get to your next class so that we can clean up the cafeteria. This incident that just went on here is not going to be tolerated lightly, and we are in the process of taking care of it now. Sorry to cut your lunch short." Was all he said, before nervously running a hand through his short hair and turning back around and leaving.

Lily remained still on the floor as others around her began standing up, carrying their lunch trays to the various garbage cans spread around the cafeteria. She could feel all eyes on her, and heard low whispers from some of the students.

"_Jesus Christ... I always knew that kid was fucked up in the head."_

"_He tried to kill____him… he tried to fucking __**kill**__ him."_

"_What does she even see in him anyway?"_

Those were only some of the comments she managed to pick out from the crowd of whispers. She stood up slowly, still feeling all eyes on her as she hastily gathered up her things and sprinted out of the cafeteria, feeling the warm tears as they began running down her cheeks yet again.

**A/N: **_Finally, an update! Sorry that I don't update as often as I'd like to, as I am busy with life matters. But I had been planning out this chapter since I first got the idea for this story, and it was definitely the one I was the most excited to write! I really hope you guys enjoyed this, as it gives you an insight in to the Joker's personality before he even becomes the Joker. Anyways, thank you to all of you who keep reading and reviewing this story, you guys inspire me to keep writing! Again I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you did please review! _


	6. Stitches

At the end of the day, Lily hurried out of school as quickly as possible. Throughout the rest of the day she had to deal with all the stares, whispers and comments everywhere she went. She looked forward to getting away from that environment for a while and just being able to sit alone in her room.

She sighed to herself quietly as she walked down the narrow sidewalks, making her way back to her house. She wondered what was going to happen to Jack, and if he was okay. She shuddered slightly, remembering the look she saw in his eyes when he pressed that shard of shattered porcelain against Chad's throat. She had never seen Jack act so violently before, he had always been so reserved and shy. And that weird grin he had on his face… it made her feel uneasy for reasons unbeknownst to her.

She continued walking on, lost in her thoughts and staring at the tall buildings in the distance. She was glad she lived out in the suburbs, away from the commotion of the city. She shivered slightly as she walked, realizing now that in her hurry she forgot her sweatshirt in her locker. Oh well. She picked up her pace a little more, trying to get home and out of the cold a little faster.

After about 15 minutes of walking, she was finally back in her neighborhood. She continued walking down the sidewalk towards her home, clutching her books closely to her chest as she walked. She stared down at the ground or watched leaves blowing in the wind while she walked along. She was nearing her house, so she lifted her head up again. She halted in her steps once she saw him, just sitting casually on the sidewalk in front of her house. He sat on the curb of the sidewalk, with his elbows resting lazily atop his knees and his arms dangling in front of him. Even though she was a fair distance from him, she could see the stitches that protruded from his lip and the bloodied bandage wrapped around his right hand. He turned his gaze over and looked at her, a slight smirk sneaking its way across his lips. He still had that same look in his eyes from earlier that day as he made eye contact with her, his eyes slightly squinted.

Lily's mouth hung open slightly as she looked at him, still standing still where she had stopped. She almost wanted to turn around and walk away, and avoid having to see that slightly deranged look he had in his eyes. She swallowed, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly before she made her feet move again.

He watched her the whole time she walked over to him, looking up at her as she stood next to him. She averted her gaze to the ground, letting her backpack slide off her shoulders gently as she sat down next to him. She kept her textbooks tucked closely to her chest, tucking her knees up close to her body and wrapping her arms around them as she sat. She could feel Jack's gaze on her as she sat, but she continued to stare at the ground below, watching as a few stray leaves blew against the pavement. She shivered slightly at the cool breeze.

Jack chewed at his stitches slightly as he looked at her. She wouldn't even look him in the eyes. He wondered if she was scared of him or something now. He saw her tiny frame trembling slightly in the breeze, and he gently pulled off his olive green jacket, resting it over her shoulders.

Lily couldn't help but blush at Jack's kind-hearted notion, slowly turning her head to look up at him. Her soft blue-green eyes met with his own for a moment, before her gaze trailed down to the stitches that riddled his lower lip. She saw that he had a small gash that ran down the middle of his lower lip and continuing slightly on to the skin below his lips as well. She reached her hand up to his face slowly, gently running her thumb along his sutures. She looked back up in to his eyes again, they were still darker than they usually looked but they seemed slightly warmer than before.

"Jack, the school board is really upset about what you did…"

Jack snickered slightly in response. "Why, because I was defending an innocent girl from being bullied by somebody more than twice her size?"

Lily moved her hand away from Jack's face, wrapping her arm around her legs again. She stared down at her feet.

"Jack, you almost killed him…" Her voice came out in a hushed whisper as she spoke.

Jack twisted his hips, moving so he was turned toward Lily more, placing one of his hands on the sidewalk beside him, and letting the other rest atop his knee still. "Lily, I was never going to _kill _him. I wanted to make sure he never bothered you again." Jack spoke, remembering the incident in his mind as he talked. He remembered exactly how he felt when he was laying there beneath his grip, helpless to do anything to stop him. He remembered pressing that shard in to his neck, seeing the first drops of blood beginning to form as the sharp edges broke skin. He remembered how he _did _want to kill him in that moment, how _easy _it would have been to end his life…

But, Jack was drawn away from his thoughts at the sound of Lily's voice. "It doesn't _matter_, Jack. You may not have killed him, but you still hurt him pretty badly…"

Jack was beginning to feel slightly annoyed with her. "Are you telling me, Lily, that you're going to take this kid's side over _mine?_"

Lily looked back up at him, feeling a little discouraged at his remark. "No, Jack. That's not it at all..." She averted her gaze to the pavement again. "…but you _broke _his jaw."

"He deserved it."

Lily felt her frustrations growing more and more, and she snapped at him slightly. "No, Jack! That isn't the point. Don't you get it? You have _never _acted so violently towards anything before." Her voice was raised slightly as she spoke, only for her to quiet down to a barely audible whisper again. "You _scared_ me, Jack…that look you had in your eyes…it was a side of you I've never seen before."

Jack felt slightly guilty now, trying to piece together the right words in his mind to ease her concerns. "Lily, look. I care about you, a lot. I only did what I did to protect you." He scratched at his head slightly. "I got a little carried away, and I'm sorry, okay?"

Lily turned her body so she was facing him. She reached her hand up to his face again, gently caressing his cheek. "Then you have to promise me something."

Jack looked at her; her soft blue-green eyes were slightly teary. Her tiny, full pink lips were parted ever so slightly as she looked up at him. He reached his non-bandaged hand up to gently move stray strands of hair away from her eyes, resting his hand on the back of her neck. "Anything." he murmured.

She blinked a few times, making the tears in her eyes disperse before she spoke. "I don't want to see you that way ever again, please. That's all I ask."

Jack looked down at her, their faces were only a few inches apart. He moved slightly closer to her, gently grabbing her by the chin as he was suddenly overcome with the urge to lean down and kiss her soft, luscious lips. He stopped himself before he got too close, remembering the unappealing stitches running across his slightly swollen lower lip. Instead he parted his lips slightly to speak.

"I promise."

Lily felt butterflies rising in her stomach when Jack moved even closer to her, only to be slightly disappointed once he halted. She could feel her heart pounding loudly in her chest when she gazed up at him, and then down to his lips. She wanted so badly to kiss him, she knew from the first day she met Jack that she liked him. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she moved her face closer to his, parting her lips more in anticipation. Jack could feel her moving closer to him, and now their lips were within an inch of each other. He swallowed the lump he could feel in his throat, moving his hand so it rested on her cheek. He watched as Lily's eyelids fluttered shut and she leaned her face upward slightly, as if enticing him to move closer. He complied; gently closing his eyelids as well as he leaned down, gently pressing his lips to hers.

She moved closer to Jack, hoping he would notice and take the initiative to kiss her. She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down gently as he swallowed, moving his hand to her cheek. His touch was warm against her skin, and she immediately let her eyelids fall shut and leaned closer to him, feeling his lips pressing against her own. The sensation of his kiss sent shivers down her spine and butterflies through her stomach, she didn't even seem to notice how his stitches grazed gently across her lips.

Jack pulled away after a few seconds, worried that his stitches were bothering her. He opened his eyes and watched as she opened hers ever so slightly, before shutting them again. She placed her hands on both sides of his neck, gently drawing him in as she planted another gentle kiss, this time on his upper lip.

Lily pulled away slightly, opening her eyes again slowly and biting down on her lower lip with a slight smile. She saw that familiar warmth in Jack's eyes and suddenly felt like everything was better again.

Jack smirked at her slightly, placing a hand on her hip and moving her closer to him. He moved her so that she was sitting in between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. He draped his arms around her slightly, resting his chin against her shoulder and letting out a small sigh of content.

Lily turned around slightly so she could see his face, reaching a hand up to his face again and running her thumb gently over his stitches once more. They sat like this for a few moments before she broke the silence.

"So, what happened after they escorted you out of the cafeteria?"

Jack lifted his head up off her shoulder, tilting his head back slightly and looking at the sky.

"Hm. Well, first they took me down to the nurse's office. Cleaned me up a bit, then they called an ambulance to come and pick me up so I could go to the ER and get stitched up."

Lily blinked a few times. "You didn't get in trouble?"

Jack chuckled slightly. "Ah, not quite yet. The principal told me that I'm suspended from school until further notice, and that he would decide how to settle this later."

Lily looked down at the ground, feeling a little saddened. Having to go through her day today after lunch was bad enough, but thinking about having to go back to school and not even having Jack there made her feel more nervous. She let out a small sigh, turning her head and looking over her shoulder. Her parent's cars were gone, so they must still be at work. She smiled slightly, turning her head to look up at Jack.

"Jack?"

He looked down at her. "Hm?"

"Um, would you like to go inside?" She smiled at him slightly.

"Yeah, sure." he responded.

She smiled slightly, standing up again and sliding her arms inside Jack's jacket. Jack stood up too, leaning down to pick up her bookbag, sliding it over his shoulder before picking up her books as well. He followed Lily up to her front door, where she fumbled around in her pocket for a moment looking for her house key. She unlocked the door, letting Jack step inside first before shutting the door behind them.


End file.
